The next part of our excursion was visiting Fern Gully. It was pretty, but not quite what Bill and I were expecting. It was very narrow, hilly road. Whenever the road widened a bit, vendors had crammed the space full and were shouting at us to stop and shop. Our driver, Hugh, said there was no way he was stopping, as he told us the vendors would swarm us like vultures. So he slowed down a couple of times, rolled down our windows, and told us to take a few pictures.
After our rather fast, harrowing drive through Fern Gully, we stopped at a few stores. Our guide told us he'd bring us to a place that would treat us somewhat fairly. He was right...we got a reasonable price on a few things we had been looking for, but the storekeepers were unnerving. They followed us everywhere and would NOT let us leave until we purchased something. Bill and I stood our ground and negotiated better pricing, but after a half hour of dealing with Jamaicans like this, I was tired and ready to return to the ship. Jamaicans are much poorer than we expected them to be. The unemployment rate is a staggering 33%. Their homes are very simple, and it's clear they don't have too many possessions. Our guide told us that the people of Ocho Rios love having the cruise ships visit, because it has done so much to boost the local economy. But the downside of that is Jamaicans don't see us as human beings. They see us as dollar signs.
I don't want you to think we had a bad day. It was beautiful, and Hugh was a lot of fun. And I think it's important to see how the rest of the world lives. Now, on to Grand Cayman!
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